Nine protesters have been charged after a rally against Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s visit to Australia escalated into clashes with police in Sydney on Monday night. Twenty-seven people were arrested during the demonstration at Sydney Town Hall, with police alleging some protesters assaulted officers.
Footage circulating on social media depicts officers forcibly removing demonstrators, including instances of alleged physical violence. One video shows a man with his hands raised being repeatedly punched in the stomach by police, while another appears to reveal a group of Muslim men being pulled from prayer and detained. Five members of the public were treated in hospital for injuries sustained during the protest.
Aftab Malik, Australia’s special envoy to combat Islamophobia, described the police response as including “unprovoked violence and aggression,” calling it “a very dark night.”
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns defended the actions of police, citing a long-standing cooperative relationship between authorities and the Muslim community. “But context is important and the circumstances facing police were incredibly difficult… it was in effect in the middle of a riot,” he said.
Labor MP Sarah Kaine, who spoke at the rally, rejected any suggestion she had incited violence. “I don’t think it’s helpful for police or anyone else in high office to be making allegations like that,” she told the Australian Associated Press.
NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon characterized the assembly as “volatile.” Greens MP Abigail Boyd alleges she was assaulted by three police officers while attending the protest. “I got this almighty shove from my right and I went flying, lifted off the ground… and then this one copper just punched me as I was trying to get my balance,” Boyd said, adding she had never witnessed such brutality.
Police had issued a move-on order, but the situation deteriorated as the large crowd struggled to disperse, leading to officers rushing into the densely packed group. Community worker Paula Abood said she was assaulted on two occasions while attempting to assist other protesters who were being struck by police. “I’ve never seen anything like this in my 40 years of marching the streets of Sydney,” she stated.
President Herzog’s visit follows the December 14 Bondi Beach shooting, in which 15 people were killed in what authorities have described as Australia’s worst mass shooting in 29 years. He laid a wreath and stones brought from Jerusalem at Bondi Pavilion and met with survivors and families of the victims, stating, “When one Jew is hurt, all Jews feel their pain.”
Herzog has faced scrutiny over comments made in 2023, which a UN inquiry found could reasonably be interpreted as inciting genocide against Palestinians. The president denies this claim, asserting his remarks were taken out of context.
Despite the protests, Herzog continued his tour on Tuesday, visiting Moriah War Memorial College, a Jewish school in Sydney’s east.
